Grateful Dead shows set attendance records at Chicago’s Soldier Field

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IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR THE GRATEFUL DEAD - TTrey Anastasio, from left, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead perform at Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well Show at Soldier Field on Saturday, July 4, 2015, in Chicago, Ill. (Photo by Jay Blakesberg/Invision for the Grateful Dead/AP Images)

IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR THE GRATEFUL DEAD - Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart of The Grateful Dead perform during the Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well show at Soldier Field on Friday, July 3, 2015, in Chicago, Ill. (Photo by Jay Blakesberg/Invision for the Grateful Dead/AP Images)

CHICAGO — The Grateful Dead is making Chicago’s Soldier Field come alive like no rock band ever has.

In a news release, Soldier Field says the 70,764 tickets sold for Friday night’s show broke a previous record for any event at the stadium when U2 sold 67,936 for a 2009 show.

That record lasted all of one day. On Saturday night, Soldier Field reported that 70,844 tickets were sold for the show. The band has one more show Sunday of what they say will be their last show ever as the Grateful Dead.

Soldier Field spokesman Luca Serra says the fans are getting their money’s worth. Both shows started at about 7:30 at night and Friday night’s show ended at 11:35 and Saturday night’s show ended at midnight.

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